


When all that's lost is found

by risinggreatness



Series: Circle 'round the sun [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-18
Updated: 2014-09-18
Packaged: 2018-02-17 21:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2324459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risinggreatness/pseuds/risinggreatness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anakin is sure meeting Padmé is the start of his life making sense</p>
            </blockquote>





	When all that's lost is found

The crowd gathers and Anakin fidgets. Obi-Wan tells him to stop, but he can’t help himself. An unfortunate childhood habit when made to sit still for too long. He’s just fidgeting preemptively.

Since coming to Coruscant, Anakin’s socialized with more members of the Core elite of than anyone back on Tatooine has in their lifetime. It makes him feel dreadfully out of place and he wishes Obi-Wan wouldn’t make him sit in on this meeting. But it is the deal: he can go on recon missions in Separatist territory, if he goes to a joint session.

His master may find all this fascinating, but _this_ padawan knows he’s going to be completely bored. He’s training to be a Jedi _knight_ , not a Jedi _senator_.

Anakin opens his mouth to protest again, hoping he’ll at least annoy his master into letting him leave early; then she walks in. She cannot be that much older than he ( _maybe close to Obi-Wan_ ), but she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and he knows he’s never felt like this before. She looks to be made of stars; he is made of common clay.

He stares. Another unfortunate childhood habit.

His eyes follow her as she moves across the room to her seat. He’s going to pay attention today so when Obi-Wan inevitably talks to everyone afterwards, he can say something to her without sounding like an idiot.

What surprises him is that when he bothers to listen, he’s kind of interested. He has a hard time following the whole conversation, but when she speaks, he is rapt with attention.

She speaks of a better Republic, one that can more effectively help its citizens. A jaded man would scoff; call it naïve faith in a system crippled by its own weight. To a boy whose world was bought and sold in crime, it is a small flickering flame of hope. She speaks of things which will ensure that no other family, child, will endure what his early years were.

The Jedi serve the Republic. Anakin begins to understand that he can offer more to the Republic than his blind service.

After the senators finish speaking, the pair of Jedi mill about to speak with the assembled. Well, Obi-Wan speaks. Anakin tries to follow her, but she is lost in the crowd. He’s just about given up on seeing her again when –

Obi-Wan speaks, “Good to see you again, Senator Farr.”

– and she’s in front of him, along with a Rodian.

“Likewise, Master Kenobi. I believe you already know Senator Padmé Amidala?”

Obi-Wan makes a nod towards her, smiling, “Senator Amidala, a pleasure as always.”

Anakin’s mouth is dry.

Obi-Wan continues, “Senators, this is my padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Unfortunately, we cannot talk longer, other duties call.”

Both senators make polite nods toward him and Obi-Wan moves to leave, but Anakin blurts out, “I really liked your speech on ending slavery in the galaxy, Senator Amidala!”

So much for not sounding like an idiot. He goes bright red. Obi-Wan looks at him with some understanding.

Senator Amidala blushes slightly and says, “Thank you, Padawan Skywalker. Perhaps we could meet and talk about the initiative some other time?”

His heart beats faster than when he was handed his lightsaber.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Come on, Anakin, we have to leave.”

Emboldened, Anakin waves, “It was nice meeting you!”

It’s a good thing Obi-Wan’s insisting that they leave, because Anakin realizes he might never stop talking. As they step out of the conference room, he turns to his Master.

“Do you think there are books on senate procedure in the Jedi archives?”

Obi-Wan sighs.

\----------

This is the earliest he’s woken up voluntarily in years. Sunlight filters in the room through latticework, scattering spots of light everywhere. The air is perfumed and warm; pleasantly heavy, unlike the beating heat of the twin suns his youth.

He’s trying to orient himself – where is he?

Oh right. He got married last night.

The adrenaline from the arena at Geonosis had bolstered his courage up enough to ask; it’s what probably got her to say yes ( _gods, hopefully not the only reason_ ). She said yes and it feels like his life finally makes sense to him.

He has the Jedi, he has Obi-Wan; they should be enough. They push him down a clear path, a good one. Master, Council member, respected elder. It should be right, but there are too many days where he feels it isn’t him. He’s never wholly right in their eyes.

Padmé’s different. Sure, she’s pointed out plenty of times when he’s wrong. The difference is she doesn’t want him to change himself, to force out his ability to feel. They push and pull; they fight; they love each other.

He can be both, Jedi and husband. Right?

He lies in the bed, immobile, body refusing to budge. Padmé is already up and the space she occupied feels vast.

They both keep late hours, but in the coming years, he will become accustomed to her rising early as he idles behind. Senate business never ends. She is a non-stop flurry of action.

Today, it’s packing.

“Get up, husband, we have a transport to Coruscant in the afternoon.”

Husband. She savors the new word; he grins from ear to ear.

He still makes no move to get up. Lazily, “What sort of wife gets up at sunrise the day after she gets married?”

“The kind who realizes her husband will be in trouble if the Council finds out he got married.” She continues to move about the room, readying to leave, but she’s also not dressed; hair tangled and flyaway.

Obi-Wan is going to kill him. He should feel guilty, but overwhelming contentment is getting the better of him.

“But it’s not for hours – packing can wait. Plus, I’m sore.” He tries to look as wounded and innocent as possible.

She laughs at his weak attempt for pity, sitting down on the bed and leaning towards him, “And would that be from Geonosis or last night?”

Both. They were overenthusiastic and uninhibited last night and they’re both battered from the arena. An angry red cut runs across her torso; he’s got bruises down his left side and a new mechanical hand.

“I _knew_ I married you for your sense of humor. You have to admit, sex is more fun than getting shot at by Separatists.”

Padmé feigns shock. “You mean the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker thinks there’s something better than a battle?”

Smoothly, “Maybe just a little. Especially when it involves a beautiful senator.” He scrunches his nose and looks at the odd contraption that now caps off his right arm, “Also, no loss of limb.”

She laughs again, “I suppose that’s a good enough answer. I wouldn’t want to have to divorce you after one day; preferring a fight to me.”

He grins, “It’s funny now, but I’ll run out of limbs eventually.”

She moves to lie down next to him, packing completely abandoned. He wraps his arms around her ( _the right, tentatively_ ), cradling her to his chest. Everything around them fades; their breathing and heartbeats are the loudest sound in the galaxy.

Yes, their lives are finally right. They’ll figure out the rest together.

\----------

He’s always going to hate being on security detail. Not because the assignments lack action; they tend to be more dangerous than large-scale battles. He just prefers being out in the open, with an enemy right in front of him. Security detail means sneaking around, or worse, waiting.

How politicians manage to alienate everyone, he’ll never understand.

But when he’s informed he and Ahsoka will be accompanying a group of senators headed by Bail Organa to Alderaan for a summit with neutral systems, he is excited.

Padmé’s attending this summit as well; it’ll be the first time since they’ve married they’ll be going off-world together. Coincidentally, just in time for their first anniversary. They hadn’t planned on anything, knowing the summit would interfere, but now things will be different.

He’s also deeply apprehensive. He’s been her security detail before, but that was when he was still uncertain of his feelings for her. No, he’s always been certain, but more was unsaid then. Now it’s different. Now they are one and the same. Now when he throws himself between her and danger, it’s not just a job; there’s fear and anxiety at what would happen if he wasn’t quick enough.

Get a grip, Skywalker. It’s a summit meeting; it’s Alderaan – a Core planet where anything rarely happens.

She’s finishing up a conference call when he enters her office.

“– yes, you too senators. See you tomorrow.” The holo clicks off. Looking up at him, “And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” She stands up, with the intention of moving towards him.

He’s fairly bursting to tell her the news, but wants to hold onto it a bit longer. “You’ll never guess where I’ll be tomorrow.”

“Off on a daring rescue mission with Obi-Wan, winning accolades from the Jedi and the Republic.”

“Nope. On Alderaan. With you. Well, and Ahsoka… and the rest of the security detail… and an assortment of other politicians.”

Her face screws up in annoyance; not the reaction he expects. Aren’t wives supposed to like it when husbands remember anniversaries? He’s giving her the best gift possible: himself.

“I wish you would stop trying to be so overprotective.”

“What?!”

“You asked to be on the detail, didn’t you? Whenever I do something that might be remotely dangerous, you start acting like I can’t take care of myself! Never mind that you’re constantly in the middle of warzones! You’re the one who’s surrounded by death all the time, not me!”

“Hey, first of all, I didn’t ask for the assignment; I don’t have that kind of weight with the Council! Second, I’m sorry if I worry about when you could be in trouble; I don’t want anything to happen to you!”

“And I worry about you too, but I don’t treat you like an incapable child!”

He’s taken aback by what she says. Does she really feel that way? An incapable child? She’s far from that. She is the smartest person he knows. And he knows perfectly well she can take care of herself. He is loath to say it out loud, but fear follows him everywhere.

He feels like a fool.

“I’m sorry.” He means it.

She steps up on her toes and puts her arms around his neck and whispers, “I’m sorry too.”

Married almost a year and this is their first serious argument. They stand still, holding each other; anger ebbing away.

Padmé continues, with a wry note in her voice, “But if I find out you did request this mission, I’ll make sure you sit next to Colton Alde on the transport.”

Anakin groans, “That guy never stops talking on his holos. He’s always strung out on caf; I’ll have to listen to that ass for the whole six hour flight!”

“He’s no less an ass than someone else I know.”

“But you married me!”

“I did, didn’t I? Remind me why I did.”

He laughs, kisses her deeply, and picks her up, dropping her on her desk. Data pads scatter haphazardly as they tug at each other’s clothes; inconvenient barrier to warm flesh.

Between breaths she says, “At least we’ll get to spend our first anniversary together.”

Slightly exasperated, “That’s what I was thinking!”

“Of course, I’ll be busy and we can’t be seen in public, but we’ll think of something –”

“And if you can’t find time, I’d love to take Alde out for a romantic stroll off a cliff. They have cliffs there, right?”

She laughs so hard, they don’t notice the knock at her door.

“Senator Amidala? It’s Padawan Tano.”

Anakin almost swears loudly, but Padmé’s hand flies over his mouth.

He completely forgot that, _of course_ , his padawan would, upon receiving assignment, come see the senator she is to guard. It’s a surprise she didn’t get there sooner.

They’re both flushed; his trousers are unbuckled and her gown’s half open, skirt hiked up. “Oh gods, the kid can’t see us like this; should I hide under your desk?”

She’s smoothing down her hair, “No. Use the side entrance and come around to the main hall; pretend you were running late.” To his retreating back, “And make yourself look presentable!”

By the time he comes back around and walks through the door, Ahsoka is in the middle of animatedly telling Padmé a story. She springs up when he enters.

“Master Skywalker, I was just telling Senator Amidala about how we saw her at the vote the other day!”

“Were you?”

Padmé interjects, “I had no idea you had an interest, Master Skywalker.”

“Only sometimes, Senator.”

It will be a good mission, he’s sure of it.

**Author's Note:**

> See author bio for discussion on this 'verse.


End file.
